New York Nightmare
by CSIflea
Summary: Mac is at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up fighting for his life. Things get complicated when you add a whole bus full of children to the mix. Will Mac get out of this one? Will he be able to save Ellie and her friends? Or will they die at the hands of terrorists?
1. Chapter 1

**HEYA! Here we go with my newest crazy idea. LOL, anyway, none of these characters belong to me. I am just hiring the bad guys and playing with the show's characters… **

It was dark by the time Mac Taylor's Avalanche stopped in front of the store, it had been a long day and a weary Mac got out of the vehicle. To the untrained eye, he seemed tired- as if he might fall asleep on his feet, but to the people who knew Mac Taylor, he was alert as he always was. He walked into the store to pick up some groceries for his almost empty apartment. He didn't need much and since he had the following day off, he would only get the barest necessities.

He heard the bus before he turned around and saw it- parked behind his car. The tourist bus was a new thing in New York, as the mayor was trying to make sight-seeing easier and safer for the visitors of his city. Mac just sighed as he saw youngsters screaming and running off the bus. He was about to walk into the store, when he felt the cold metal on his neck. Unfortunately, the shape of it was scarily familiar.

"Turn around," an even colder voice said from behind him. Putting his hands in the air, he turned around slowly- cursing the fact that his gun was in his office and that his badge was still on his belt.

"Just as I thought," the voice laughed; he looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group standing behind him, "Hey, guys, look who we got here! Detective Mac Taylor- the head of the crime lab. Hero cop of New York."

The rest of the gang cheered and clapped. The gunman motioned for Mac to move onto the bus, which was now empty.

"You are coming with us," the gunman said as he pushed Mac towards the back of the bus. He shoved him down and used his own cuffs to restrain his hands in front of him. Mac was trying to find a way to escape, but there were about five of them, including the driver- he wouldn't make it far. He took a good look at the men and was shocked to see them dressed as employees of the tourist bus.

"What do you want?" Mac's voice was strong and calm- nothing betraying the growing panic in the pit of his stomach.

"We are on a mission," the leader said, "nothing you have to worry about." He bent down in front of Mac and removed his shoes and socks. What the man did next made the detective's blood go ice cold and his heart froze in his chest. He placed a small bomb on the floor between Mac's feet, and strapped it carefully to his ankles. When he finished, he sat down next to Mac and draped his arms over Mac's shoulders.

"Now be a good boy and do exactly what we tell you. Our mission doesn't start for a while, so we need you to stay put." He took a needle out of his pocket and showed it to Mac, "This will help you relax and make things a little easier for us, but don't worry, we won't kill you- yet, that is." Mac felt the cold liquid rush through his veins as the needle penetrated his neck. His muscles relaxed and he was overcome by the calm feeling settling into his body. He tried to move his hands and found that he could, but he was uncoordinated and sluggish. There was no way he was going to escape. Before he could try to talk, he felt hands around his neck as his head was secured to the headrest and a blindfold and gag were put into place. His mind seemed to be the biggest traitor of all – he tried to remember the turns the bus took, but his brain just shut down as he fell into a drugged sleep against his will. The tourist bus took off and people just looked on, no one noticing the lone figure at the back, no one realising the danger that was about to hit the heart of New York.

On the other side of the city, Jo was getting lunch ready for Ellie. She was going on a field trip with her class the next day and she was excited. Jo couldn't help but smile. They had been living in New York for close to three years and she had never been able to take Ellie sightseeing. As part of Ellie's history class, they were going on a trip around the city to visit all the historical sites.

Jo took out her phone and dialled Mac's number, hoping that he was available for breakfast before she had to go to work- seeing as it was his first off day in weeks. The phone kept ringing in her ear and she cut it off when she noticed the time. Maybe he was sleeping- it was after eleven at night already, after all. With that thought, she went to bed hoping that her daughter would enjoy her trip tomorrow and that her best friend would enjoy his off day. She fell into a peaceful sleep, not knowing it would be the last she would have for a long time- her worst nightmare was about to come true.

**So what do you think? Hit or miss? Let me know, CSIflea.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya, I know you have all been waiting for an update, but I have decided to take a break over the next week or two.**

**I want to thank each and every one of my readers who reviewed, put up alerts and favourited my stories, even if you just read it. Thanks for all your support in 2012 and I hope to see you in 2013 again. There are some new stories coming up and some old ones finishing early next year, so keep an eye out.**

**Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. May you have a blessed time with friends and family.**

**From everyone on the planet Fleasia,**

**Till next time,**

**CSIflea.**


	3. Chapter 3: I'll take that as a yes

**Heya! I hope that everyone enjoyed their festive season as much as I did. I always love Christmas and no, it's not just about the presents (ok, that does play a big part)! LOL, thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts; I was blown away. I didn't expect that many- you guys are awesome. Who can forget my great beta, C. Nicole, who is doing an amazing job.**

**I wish I owned the show's characters- then I would be a rich girl, but sadly, I don't. Enjoy.**

Jo woke up the next morning to sounds coming from the living room. Frowning, she got out of bed and glanced at her watch as she walked out of her bedroom. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Ellie completely dressed, getting her school bag ready.

"What have I missed?" Jo asked as she made her way over to give Ellie a hug.

"Morning, Mom," Ellie answered, smiling.

"OK, now I know something is going on here." Jo tried to look suspicious, but her smile ruined the effect.

"Why would you say that, Mom? Nothing is going on," Ellie said, following her mother to the kitchen.

"Well, let me see," Jo put one finger in the air, "number one: you're up before me; number two: you are already dressed and you're bag is packed." Jo paused, making a show of thinking, which made Ellie giggle, "Oh yeah, number three: it's seven in the morning." Jo got out a pan for scrambled eggs while Ellie got the bacon.

"Maybe I was just a little excited about today," Ellie admitted.

"I don't think it's a maybe," Jo answered, smiling at her adopted daughter.

"Let's get cooking, and then I can drop you off at school. How does that sound?"

"Yay!" Ellie said, sounding very eager.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jo answered. She took out her phone to give Mac a call, but like the previous night, she got no answer- maybe he was taking his off day seriously.

CSINY

In an apartment in another part of the city, a small child woke her mother up after a bad dream. Lindsay woke up suddenly, sensing her daughter needed help; she glanced at the clock on the wall as she hurriedly made her way to Lucy's room at seven in the morning.

"Hey there, Luce." Lindsay cooed as she picked up the small, crying girl.

"Uncle Mac, Uncle Mac," Lucy squealed between sobs.

"Uncle Mac is fine sweetheart," Lucy tried to console her daughter.

"Hey, what's happening here?" A groggy Danny asked from the doorway.

"Bad dream, Dad," Lindsay said, handing Lucy to her father in the hopes that he would have better luck calming her down.

"You wanna tell daddy what happened?" Danny got into daddy-mode as he went down on his haunches, positioning Lucy on the floor facing him.

"Uncle Mac, hurt." The toddler rubbed her red-rimmed eyes.

"No, honey." Danny smiled, "Uncle Mac is fine," he reassured his daughter.

"Weally?" Lucy asked. Her brown eyes looked up at her dad and Danny smiled. It was so adorable that she couldn't pronounce the letter "r".

"Yes, really." He crossed his fingers over his heart to show was telling the truth.

"I think it's time for lucky Lucy to get dressed," Lindsay said and picked Lucy up from the floor. She swung her in the air making the little girl giggle, "What do you think?"

Danny left the room while Lindsay made a game of dressing their little girl; he smiled as he went into the kitchen to start coffee and get the things ready for breakfast. His two girls joined him not long after that and soon it was time for Lucy's ride to pick her up for school.

"What a way to start a day," Lindsay said as she walked back into the kitchen. She frowned when she saw Danny with his phone in his hand.

"I can't get hold of Mac," Danny explained.

"Well, it is his first day off in weeks, so maybe he switched it off," Lindsay replied as she walked up to her husband and pulled him close for a hug.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." He bent down and kissed her, "So, maybe we should get ready for work?"

Lindsay groaned and lightly punched Danny on the shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled as he followed her into the room to get ready for the day ahead.

CSINY

Don rubbed his weary eyes as he looked at the text on his phone. He had started work at eleven the previous night and came in just as Mac left. Don smiled when he remembered Mac sticking out his tongue at him. It was so unlike Mac (bragging that he was going home), but he was probably looking forward to his day off. The text was from his sister, who wanted to meet him for breakfast.

'_Breakfast does sound good round about now,'_ Don thought as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. Driving to the diner, Don realised just how hungry he was, so he drove a little faster and made it there in record time.

Don arrived at the diner and waved at Hawkes, Sid and Adam who were already there; they sat in a booth close to the door. He walked over to Sam who was sitting by herself, almost at the back of the diner.

"Hey, sis," he kissed her before seating himself in front of her.

"Hey, bro," she said and flashed him a smile.

Just then a bus came screeching around the corner, frightening everyone in the diner and drawing some choice words from the patrons.

"I wonder who's driving," Don said as he tried to get a good look at the driver, but only succeeded in a fleeting glance at the passenger in the back.

"Don't know, but I don't think the mayor will be so happy if he hears how his tourist plan is being taken care of," Sam said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think so either." Don looked out the window and frowned.

"Hey, Captain Space-cadet!" Sam waved her hand in front of his face, drawing him back from his thoughts, but not the nagging feeling in his gut.

"Sorry, sis. Thought I saw someone." He shook his head. _It couldn't be Mac, _he thought.

"What you gonna have?" Sam asked, getting down to business and opening her menu.

"I'm starving, how about everything on the menu?" He dodged the punch she sent his way across the table.

"How about coffee as a starter?" Sam asked as Don broke down in a fit of laughter at the look on her face. He couldn't answer her so she lifted her hand to signal the waitress, "I'll take that as a yes."

CSINY

Hawkes waved as Don came in and headed for a brunette sitting at the table almost at the back.

"That's Flack's sister, isn't it?" he asked, leaning towards Adam. Adam glanced over and smiled.

"Yeah, she is." The bus interrupted any further comment the table had.

"Damn idiot driver!" Adam said as he spilled his coffee over the table.

"Wonder where he got his license?" Sid asked as he flew up to get napkins to mop up the coffee.

"Probably bought a fake somewhere," Hawkes said disgusted, as he tried in vain to stop the coffee from staining his shirt.

"Sorry, man," Adam said, already getting flustered.

"Adam, its fine. It's an old shirt anyway." Hawkes smiled to reassure his friend, "I'll just pop back to the lab and change before going home."

"Oh, okay." Adam sat down, "Are you sure?"

Hawkes nodded, "Yes, Adam, I'm sure. I just remembered that I promised to get Mac something and I forgot it in my locker."

"Are you going by his apartment?" Sid asked. The whole precinct knew that Mac had a day off. It happened so rarely that everyone made bets as to how long it would take before he took one again.

"No, I don't want to bother him. I'll just put it in his desk," Hawkes said, signalling the waitress for another cup of coffee.

"The boss man didn't look so good yesterday," Adam said softly, looking down into his new cup.

"I noticed," Sid said, "But I wouldn't worry too much. I think he is just tired. He's got a lot of things on his mind and with the mayor on his neck about the solved crime rates, it's not easy."

"Yeah, and of course Sinclair is not helping either," Sheldon said with a grimace.

"We need to get going, Adam," Sid said as he left money on the table, covering the bill and leaving a very good tip, "You need a lift Sheldon?"

Hawkes gave him an unimpressed look while lifting his stained shirt with one hand. Sid chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes."

CSINY

At the crime lab, Jo was sifting through the calls that had come in. They had four crime scenes scattered across New York. Sorting out who went where wasn't as easy as it looked, but Jo was determined not to call Mac in. They could deal with it themselves. Jo was still looking at the paper in her hand when she almost walked into Hawkes, who was headed into Mac's office.

"Oh gosh, sorry, Sheldon," Jo said as she bent down to pick up the box that had fallen out of Sheldon's hand. He quickly grabbed it out of her hand and smiled nervously at her.

"No problem, Jo. Just something Mac wanted. I'll just put it in his desk." He made to walk past her, but she stopped him.

"Are you doing anything today, Sheldon?" Jo asked as sweetly as she could.

"Not really. Any ideas?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well…." Jo dragged out the word- her Southern accent making it sound almost comical. Almost. "We are swamped, and I don't want to call Mac unless I have to, and it would a public service if you could help. Please, please, please…" Everything was asked in one breath. This was accompanied by a broad smile and Jo's version of puppy dog eyes. Sheldon had to laugh. He understood why she didn't want to phone Mac and he had nothing to do at home in anyways, so he nodded.

"Who can resist your smile, Jo? And those eyes? It's enough to make any man melt." Sheldon laughed at the look on Jo's face. "Where do I go?"

"Thank you, thank you so much!" On impulse she grabbed him by the neck and pulled a very shocked Sheldon in for a hug. With that, she put her arm around his shoulder and together they walked into the break room, where everyone was waiting.

"OK, boys and girl, we have quite a few scenes to get to and the good old Doc Hawkes here told me he'd help out. I don't want to call Mac on his day off, unless we absolutely have no choice."

Everyone nodded their agreement and smiled at a blushing Hawkes.

"So let's get to it, shall we?" Jo looked down at the piece of paper in her hand, "Danny, take Adam. You have a double in Queens. Here's the address, call me if you get stuck." The two got up and after a quick kiss on the cheek for Lindsay (which caused some oohs and aahs) , they were off. "Sheldon, you got one in Brooklyn, here you go." He left after grabbing a juice from the fridge. "Lindsay, you are the closest, with one in Manhattan." The Montana native nodded and reached for the paper.

"Where are you going?" Lindsay asked as she got up from the table and headed for the door.

"Long Beach," Jo said with a grimace.

"Oooh," Lindsay pulled a face, "sand…"

"Lots and lots of sand," Jo finished.

Don suddenly appeared in the door. "So, which of you two ladies are available?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Neither," Jo said, winking at Lindsay, "but for the right price…" She let the sentence float, causing Lindsay to laugh and Don to start blushing.

"Well, we have a suspicious vehicle outside a one stop shop. Owner said the car has been there since last night and someone needs to go check it out." Jo frowned while Lindsay decided to take her leave and waved at the other two.

"What does that have to do with us?" Jo still didn't see why an abandoned car would be the crime lab's problem.

"It's an NYPD car. A dark blue, Avalanche to be exact." Don took a deep breath, "Heard from Mac today?"

CSINY

As the teens got onto the bus, some teachers were trying to calm them down, with not much success. Everybody got settled in after a few minutes, but the kids kept chatting excitedly. Ellie and her friend, Kayleen, decided to take the seat as far back as they could. They were just seated when Ellie heard a soft groan. She looked at the seat behind theirs and was shocked to see a man sitting there. His face was bruised, but underneath he was very pale.

"Hey, mister! Are you ok?" Ellie asked, concerned. She got the shock of her life when the man turned his face so he could look at her. Even with the swollen eye and split lip, she recognised him.

"Uncle Mac?!"

**Thoughts? Till next time, CSIflea.**


	4. Chapter 4:It's your choice, Detective

**Heya! Hope that you all are still out there and reading. I apologize for the long wait, but life has thrown me a couple of ugly curveballs. Thank you to all the lovely reviews and encouraging messages, it really got me going and writing. A shout-out to my beta, C. Nicole- you are awesome.**

**This chapter goes out to tlh45 and captainmorgan101 – for waking me up.**

The world was swaying dangerously for Mac and he was only vaguely aware of a chatter going on around him. The only thing he was sure of was the dull ache in his ribs and the fact that he was once again on the damn bus.

"Hey mister, are you ok?" a soft voice asked. '_Ellie? Oh, no-no-no! Please not Ellie!' _his mind screamed at him and with the little strength he had left, he turned his head towards the voice. Mac's blood ran cold as he looked into the young, innocent eyes of his best friends' adopted daughter.

"Uncle Mac?!" Ellie all but screamed. Mac tried to tell her to keep quiet and get off the bus, but he just couldn't open his mouth.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a sneering voice said and Mac's drugged mind identified him as the leader of the group.

"'Uncle Mac?' You know this man, girl?" Mac shook his head to warn Ellie- unfortunately he was just too slow. A fist came out of nowhere and hit him square on the jaw, snapping his head to one side. His last thought before darkness claimed him was that he hoped Jo would find them- and soon.

CSINY

Ellie looked on in silent horror at the injured man. He was never this still; he was Mac Taylor, for goodness sake! The strongest man in New York- according to her. All her friends were jealous that she knew Mac personally, because anyone who read newspapers knew what he did for the city on a daily basis – he was a true hero. The man she was looking at was only a shadow of the real one; this Mac looked small and weak, but the fire in his eyes (even the small flame she saw) were enough to prove to her that this was the Mac Taylor she loved.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the man who introduced himself as the tour guide asked. He had lost all the friendliness in his voice and his face looked as cold as steel, "'Uncle Mac?' You know this man, girl?" Ellie saw Mac shake his head, but the man hit him on the jaw, punching him out.

"Leave him alone!" Ellie shouted. One of her teachers screamed as the 'guide' just laughed.

"You care so much about him, little girl? You should join him." With that the man grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her seat. He pushed her onto the seat next to Mac and then cuffed his limp hand to hers.

"What's your name, you little bitch?" the head goon asked.

"E…..E…Ellie," she stammered.

"Ellie what?" he asked harshly.

"Ellie Danville," Ellie said, shrinking back in her seat.

"Well, well, well, what a catch," he sneered. The goon turned back to the other men and shouted, "Hey guys! We got the crime lab boss and his partner's daughter." A cheer went up and the man went to the front of the bus, ignoring the cries and sobbing from the other children. Ellie sat closer to the unresponsive Mac.

"Uncle Mac? Please wake up, please," Ellie sobbed quietly. But Mac Taylor stayed unresponsive and still. There was a commotion in the front of the bus and a gunshot went off, making the girls scream and cry harder. 'Please mom, find us,' Ellie prayed while the bus started moving again.

CSINY

Outside the stop and go shop, a very worried Jo got out of her car and followed an equally silent Don to the Avalanche parked just outside the shop's entrance. There was no denying that it was Mac's car. Jo had seen it millions of times parked at crime scenes and even in front of her apartment building, not to mention the crime lab. Still, she took the spare key and unlocked the car. The flashing lights indicated that the alarm was now deactivated; Jo opened the driver's side door with an apprehensive feeling, hoping beyond all hope for a reasonable reason behind the car being there and not the driver. Jo picked something up and closed her eyes in an effort to stop the tears that threatened to fall, before she turned to show Don what she had found.

CSINY

Don was watching Jo very closely; he noticed her shoulders slump and his heart plummeted. He knew that she'd found what they'd been hoping they wouldn't find. Her face spoke volumes as she handed the wallet over to Don without opening it. The leather was well-worn and eerily familiar. Don took the wallet in his hands, and was surprised at how out of place it felt there. He had seen Mac use the same wallet for years, but holding it in his hands was a confirmation of something that he really didn't want to acknowledge.

"Detective Flack!" The shout had come from one of the officers searching the perimeter. The officer came running holding a shiny piece of metal in his hands. Don glanced over at Jo, who was staring at the officer like he was a three-headed alien. She recognised the metal in the policeman's hands as well.

It was a shiny NYPD detective's badge. The number was one they knew well: 8433.

CSINY

The leader came walking down the isle of the bus, whistling as he went. The bus had stopped a couple of times randomly around New York and this was the first time he had paid any more attention to Mac and Ellie.

"So, I got rid of quite a few kids and one or two teachers, so things will be easier now. Still we are going to have some more fun- until my demands are met." The man sneered at Mac.

"They will not negotiate with you," Mac said softly.

"Oh, I think they will. This little bitch will call her mother and if her mother doesn't co-operate, we will make her pay for it." The evil smile on the man's lips made cold shivers run down Mac's spine. He couldn't let that happen- he _wouldn't_ let that happen.

"No, take it out on me. Do to me what you want, but leave her out of this."

CSINY

There was a shocked silence hovering in the crime lab when Jo and Don returned from the crime scene. Had Jo paid attention, she would have realised something was wrong. Her mind was occupied by the horrible discovery from a few hours before and Don wasn't thinking about anything else either. It just felt all wrong to think about Mac as a victim. The two friends went in search of the rest of the team to tell the bad news and found them in the break room.

Before anyone could say anything, Adam came running into the break room and silently switched on the television. The headlines made everyone snap back to reality. The newscaster announced that teachers and students from a public school (the name of which were being withheld until the families could be notified) were turning up all over New York; it appeared that they were being released from an unknown hostage situation; there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to the place the students and teachers were dropped off from the tourist bus. A sob from Jo broke through the fear that gripped the hearts of everyone in the room.

"Jo? What happened? What's wrong?" Lindsay asked, moving to Jo's side while Danny turned the volume down on the television. Everyone's attention was on Jo.

"Ellie," Jo stammered through her tears. The team exchanged puzzled looks.

"Oh, shit!" Don exclaimed suddenly, "The school trip!" He walked over to where Jo stood and steered her to the couch that sat to one side of the break room.

"What's going on here?" Sheldon asked.

Jo took a deep breath before responding, "Ellie was going on a school trip today to some of the historical sites in New York. They were going on the tourist bus." Her voice trailed off to a broken sob.

"Oh, no." "Damn." "Crap" "Shit!" Was the chorus that could be heard all over the crime lab as disbelief and realisation hit.

"We found Mac's car, as well as his wallet and badge outside a stop and go, close to his apartment," Don told the team, shocking them even more. "No-one has heard from him since his shift ended last night." Silence reigned for a few minutes until Danny cleared his throat.

"The crime scenes this morning? They were all tourist bus employees," he stated softly, causing Jo and Don to look up sharply.

"What?" "Huh?" They spoke up together.

"Yeah, all of them. They all worked on the tourist bus and all of their uniforms were missing from the scenes. We're waiting for the evidence to come back. Do you think that Mac's disappearance might have something to do with this? I mean, it's one hell of a coincidence."

"I don't know, maybe we …" Don's reply was cut short when Jo's cell phone went off, making her jump slightly.

"H..H..Hello?" Jo answered, not recognizing the number.

"Mom?" Ellie's voice came through the phone and Jo's breath caught in her throat.

"Ellie?" That one word got everybody's attention.

"Not anymore," a stranger's voice replaced that of her daughter and Jo stiffened, "I just wanted your attention."

"Well, you got it," Jo answered squaring her shoulders, her voice taking on a steely edge.

"And for that I am very glad, Detective Danville. Now, I'm sure you know by now that I have two very important people on the tourist bus- so, I will cut to the chase. You will have to make a very important choice in a moment and I hope for you that you make the right one. Before I tell you, however, I will tell you what I want: two of my friends are in your holding cells and I want them back."

"What makes you think that we will release anyone? You will be caught before we do that," Jo answered, feeling a little less confident in what she was saying.

"Well then, we come to your choice. One of two people will be used as encouragement and the other one will tell you exactly what is going on. This 'encouragement' will happen every 45 minutes until you release both of my friends. The bus will go through New York and if you try to stop it, we will shoot one the remaining hostages and throw them out the window."

"What?" Jo asked- not really wanting to face reality.

"It's easy, detective. All you have to do is choose. Will we hurt Taylor or your lovely daughter?"

"You can't do this," Jo almost screamed into the phone.

"Oh, yes, I can. You see, I gave the same choice to your boyfriend and he chose your daughter. So who will you choose?" the man said and the smile in his voice was enough to make Jo gag.

"Mac would never do that!" Jo defended softly, not trusting her own voice.

"Well, believe what you want. I need your choice now, please," the man said impatiently.

Jo looked around the room, her mind going a mile a minute. How could she choose? Who should she choose? Was there a right choice in this mess?

"Mac," she answered softly, "I choose Mac." Jo closed her eyes and felt tears wash down her face.

"I'm so glad you chose him, I would hate to hurt this beautiful daughter of yours. So, here we go." His voice disappeared and she heard him speak in the background- he was yelling at Ellie to watch and not close her eyes. Then the sounds ripped through her, threatening to tear her apart. First she heard Ellie scream, then a sound she had never heard before and prayed to God she would never hear again –

Mac screamed…

**Thoughts? Ideas? Let me know…till next time (hopefully soon), CSIflea**


	5. Chapter 5: When this nightmare is over

**I'm back! That wasn't so long, was it? I'm trying to finish up my other stories while I'm on holidays and I'm telling you, the muse is giving me a hard time. Enjoy…**

Ellie was crying softly as she sat next to her Uncle Mac. He was still unconscious from the earlier onslaught and- despite his weak assurances that he was going to be fine- it still sucked to see him hurt. The bus was moving again and Ellie stared at the window as tears ran down her cheeks, she remembered the events that led them to their present situation.

_After Uncle Mac had basically pleaded with them to leave her alone and to hurt him instead, she was told that she could phone her mother. The bus had pulled into an abandoned warehouse and everyone was told to stay put. Uncle Mac was then told to take off his shirt and kneel in the pathway of the bus. Uncle Mac caught her eye and gave her a half-smile while he complied with their demands. His wrists were then tied to his ankles, leaving him in a very uncomfortable position. However, not a single sound of protest came from his mouth. The leader of the group took a small knife and made long cuts on Uncle Mac's back. Sweat was pouring from his face, but still no sound escaped his lips._

"_Stop it! You're hurting him," Ellie shouted and tried to get to her hero, but was stopped by another member of the group._

"_Shut up, little girl! You'll get to talk to your mother soon." The leader sneered in her direction._

_None of the cuts were very deep, but they bled a lot. Ellie could see Uncle Mac struggling not to make a sound. His eyes were closed and his jaw was clenched; Ellie could see the signs of pain on his face, but still no sound came out of his mouth._

"_That should do it," the leader said, straightening his back and wiping his hands on Uncle Mac's shirt. He threw a phone in her direction, "Dial your mother," he ordered. The whole time Uncle Mac was crouching on his knees, but his eyes were open and he was looking at her. She took strength from the determination in his eyes and started dialling her mom. _

"_H...H...Hello?" came the answer, after a few rings._

"_Mom?" Ellie said, shocked by the uncertainty in her mother's voice._

"_Ellie?" Jo asked on the other side, but the phone was suddenly grabbed out of Ellie's hands._

"_Not anymore," the leader spoke with a smile that made Ellie's blood run cold, "I just wanted your attention." He put the phone on speaker so that everyone could hear._

"_Well, you got it," came Jo's reply; Ellie could hear the steel in her mother's voice._

_The man chuckled and then continued, "And for that I am very glad, Detective Danville. Now, I'm sure you know by now that I have two very important people on the tourist bus- so, I will cut to the chase. You will have to make a very important choice in a moment and I hope for you that you make the right one. Before I tell you, however, I will tell you what I want: two of my friends are in your holding cells and I want them back."_

_Uncle Mac looked at her and shook his head. That earned him a slap from the leader._

"_What makes you think that we will release anyone? You will be caught before we do that," Jo said, but her voice was softer._

"_Well then, we come to your choice. One of two people will be used as encouragement and the other one will tell you exactly what is going on. This encouragement will happen every 45 minutes until you release my friends. The bus will travel through New York and if you try to stop it, we will shoot one the remaining hostages and throw them out the window." _

_Uncle Mac began struggling against the tape around his ankles, but the guy watching him just pointed his gun in Ellie's direction causing him to stop his futile war against the restraints._

"_What?" Jo asked, sounding dumbstruck._

_The man just laughed, __"It's easy, detective. All you have to do is choose. Will we hurt Taylor or your lovely daughter?"_

_Uncle Mac looked into Ellie's eyes, steely determination making his ocean-coloured eyes burn. Tears were streaming down the teenager's cheeks, fearing the choice her mom had to make._

"_You can't do this," Jo shouted over the phone, her fear and anger carrying through the small speaker._

"_Oh, yes, I can. You see, I gave the same choice to your boyfriend and he chose your daughter. So who will you choose?" The man smiled a sick smile and Uncle Mac shook his head again, but didn't say anything. His shoulders slumped just a little. Ellie hoped that her mom wouldn't believe the guy; surely she knew Uncle Mac would never do that?_

"_Mac would never do that!" was Jo's reply and Ellie could see relief in Uncle Mac's eyes._

"_Well, believe what you want. I need your choice now, please," the man said impatiently._

_Ellie started trembling as the man guarding her gave the leader a small, clear packet. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't miss the fleeting flash of fear (maybe terror) in Uncle Mac's eyes before it disappeared and was replaced again by determination._

_Silence stretched out on the bus as the whole group waited for Jo's answer. _

"_Mac," was the soft answer, "I choose Mac." Ellie saw a small smile appear on Mac's face, but it was quickly replaced by a grimace as one of the lunatics grabbed his shoulder and another one pushed his hands into the wounds on Mac's back, using his fingers to open one of the cuts. Mac groaned and Ellie called out for them to stop._

"_I'm so glad you chose him; I would hate to hurt this beautiful daughter of yours. So, here we go." The man put the phone on the open seat next to him. Things were a little cramped in the small aisle of the bus, but they made it work. Ellie saw them open the packet and closed her eyes – she had a feeling that this was going to get bad._

"_Open your eyes, little bitch!" The leader shouted and she quickly complied. The men then took the white stuff and pushed some of it on the wound they'd just opened on Mac's back. Ellie cried out as she saw Mac fight against the bonds and hands holding him down. Some more was pushed into another cut and Mac let out a horrible scream. Ellie cried even louder as she saw Mac's eyes roll and then close as he lost consciousness. The men untied him and dragged him over to a seat, then proceeded to tie his hands to the arm rests. The leader grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close to his face._

"_Now you tell your mother what you saw," he picked up the phone. "You heard that, I'm sure. Now your daughter will tell you what happened. When the call ends, you will have 45 minutes till you hear from me again."_

Twenty minutes later… Uncle Mac was beginning to stir. Sweat made his hair stick to his forehead.

"Uncle Mac?" Ellie whispered.

"Ellie?" Mac asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?" Ellie asked concerned as her hero opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her.

"I'm good. Did they hurt you? Are you ok?" Uncle Mac asked frantically.

"Uncle Mac, calm down. I'm fine, they didn't touch me." Ellie said, trying to calm him down. She glanced at her friend in the seat in front of them. Kayleen shook her head, indicated that the men didn't hear them.

"Good, that's good." Mac said clenching his fists as the movement of the bus jarred his tortured back.

"Do you know what's going on?" Ellie asked.

"They want to do something, but I'm not sure what. I heard them talking, before they picked up your class. The ransom demand they told your mom about is a diversion. We need to let them know somehow." Mac took a breath as deep as he could. When his breath hitched, Ellie saw the deep bruises on his torso. She also noticed the scar over his heart for the first time. She would ask him about it when their nightmare was over. Before she could reply, her friend signalled them to be quiet; the men were coming down the aisle towards them. Ellie took Mac's hand and felt him squeeze her hand. She would be strong, just like he was.

CSINY

Lindsay and Jo were in tears by the time Ellie had finished the conversation. Jo's feelings of guilt over what she had condemned Mac to and anger at what those bastards were putting Ellie through, were fighting for first place within her. Lindsay was clinging to Danny, while anger was showing clearly on his face. Adam was speechless, as was Sheldon. Don was pacing up and down- his mind going a mile a minute trying to figure out how to get his best friend out of this mess.

"Who are these people?" Danny asked, his voice clearly displaying his anger.

"I don't know, but I will find out." Adam got up from his seat and went into the AV lab.

"I'm going to see if I can figure out who these sewage rats want," Don said, storming out.

"Let's go over the other crime scenes. I assume they are connected somehow, so maybe we can get something there." Danny said, pulling Lindsay out of the break room.

"What am I going to do?" Jo asked. Sheldon looked up from the box in his hands; he didn't have time to put it into Mac's desk that morning and was wondering what to do with it.

"We are going to be strong and get them back," Hawkes said with conviction. He stood up and walked over to Jo. He came to stop in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"How?" Jo asked, tears threatening to fall again.

"In danger of sounding like Sid, let me tell you a story. This is a true story of a man that was in a train crash. He was hurt really bad and the doctors told his family that he wouldn't make it. That he wouldn't survive. His wife refused to give up; she didn't want to raise their three young children alone. So she kept hoping and praying, never losing faith." He fell silent, closing his eyes.

"What happened?" Jo asked softly, the story got her attention.

"Her husband died fifteen years after the accident. He lived to see his youngest child finish school." Sheldon answered.

"He survived longer than they said. Why tell me the story, Sheldon?" Jo asked, confused.

"Mac told me that story when I stayed with him a couple of years ago. I was down and out and he let me stay with him until I got back on my feet. You know, after he told me that story, I also asked him why," Sheldon chuckled softly. "He said, that it shows that hope and faith will get you far. That the family's faith was strong enough; we need to have faith as well- faith that Mac is strong, faith in our ability to get them back." He looked up to see Adam jump up from his chair and do a little jig. Sheldon smiled as he turned Jo around so she could see. "And faith that our lab tech is the best in the country." Jo had to laugh as Adam fell over his feet, crashing down on the seat behind him.

"I will ask Mac to tell me that story, and how he knows about it- just as soon as this nightmare is over." Jo squeezed Sheldon's hand as Adam came running into the break room.

"I know who he is and you are not going to believe who he wants," he panted.

**Please let me know what you think. I really love to hear from you guys. Thanks to all the reviewers and follows; it makes my day waking up to the nice reviews. I would like to tell you now that I am working on another story about Mac and Claire. I worked on it with a friend, but she decided that she wanted to write something else instead, so I am going to go on with it. Please keep an eye out for that one. Thanks to my beta, for all her hard work. You rock!**

**Again I do not own the characters from the show; I just like playing with them. **

**Till next time,**

**CSIflea.**


	6. Chapter 6: You shouldnt have done that

Before Adam could answer, Chief Sinclair stormed into the break room. His fury was clear on his dark face and his eyes frantically scanned the room.

"Where the hell is Taylor?" he demanded.

"He's not here, sir," Jo answered, standing up to meet the Chief.

"What? There is a situation and he has a responsibility to this city and to this lab!" Sinclair shouted.

"Detective Taylor is missing," Sheldon answered with a steely edge to his voice.

"Want to tell me what the hell is going on here, Danville?" the Chief asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Well, sir, as far as we know, some terrorists have taken over the tourist bus," Jo said plainly.

"What? And none of you thought to call me?! I had to see it on the news!" the Chief shouted, causing a few lab techs to hide behind their equipment.

"Sir, we only just found out ourselves. We were out on scenes the whole morning and also saw the news report when we came back. At that stage, we only knew there was a possibility that Detective Taylor was missing. When we were back at the lab, we also saw the news report, but then a phone call confirmed it," Jo's voice broke slightly, remembering her little girl's sobs as she told her what they had done to Mac.

"What phone call?" Sinclair asked, not missing the sadness in Jo's eyes.

"Erm, the children on the bus are from a public school. They were going on a historical tour. My daughter, Ellie, is on the bus- the terrorists found that out somehow; they made her call. She…she told us what they wanted and what they were going to do until they get their friends released. They also confirmed that they have Detective Taylor onboard and that they are going to use him as an incentive to get us to give in to their demands," Jo said, not meeting the Chief's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sinclair could see it was hard for the detective to give him the details, but he had to know. He hadn't always seen eye to eye with Taylor, but he was a damn good cop.

"They are going to hurt him every forty-five minutes until we decide to release their friends. We still have about twenty minutes left before they phone again." Jo looked at her watch while she spoke, still not looking at the chief. Sinclair sat down heavily as the implications of what he was hearing sank in. One of his best detectives was being tortured in his city by a bunch of terrorists? How could this happen?

"What did they do to him?" he asked softly.

"Ellie said that they cut him, on his back. Then they put coarse salt on the wounds and pushed it in deeper. It must have hurt like hell, because he screamed," Jo spoke softly. "I've never heard Mac scream like that."

"Well, do we know who they are? And who they want?" The chief was not going to sit by while Mac Taylor was suffering – no matter how bad the man sucked at playing politics, he was still a good man and a great cop.

"We were about to hear," Sheldon spoke up pointing to Adam.

"Well?" Sinclair looked expectantly at Adam, who looked like he wanted to melt into the wall.

"The head guy is called Anthony Collins. I don't know who the other people are, but he is the one in charge," Adam finally stammered out.

"Wait a second, Collins? As in the crime family Collins?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah," Adam answered.

"OK, we need to get Mac out of there, because there's not a snowball's chance in hell that we can release his two friends," Don said as he walked into the conversation.

"Why?" Sinclair turned to Flack

"Because, Chief, the two people we arrested, that he so desperately wants, are his cousins. The one is a known assassin and the other one a con artist. He is so dodgy he can sell ice in Antarctica." Don's answer caused Jo to smile a little.

"So, what can we do?" Sinclair looked at all of the people around the room. They needed a plan – and fast.

The silence in the room was deafening- not a minute later it was broken by the sound of Jo's cell phone. She answered with shaky fingers, noting the time on the clock. Their 4forty-five minutes had expired.

CSI NY

Mac quickly squeezed Ellie's hand before the bastard reached them. The terrorist motioned for one of his partners to untie the detective, once again making him kneel in the passage.

"Time's up, Detective," The bastard said with a smile.

"Go to hell!" Mac said through clenched teeth, the movement had jostled his back and he could feel a small amount of blood trickle down his back.

"Oh, I will probably end up there one day, but not today. I cannot say the same for you, though."

He grabbed Ellie and held out the phone to her. She dialled her mom's number with tears in her eyes. Ellie put the phone to her ear. As she waited for her mom to answer, she looked into Mac's eyes. There was a steely determination there that gave her courage. Suddenly she saw Mac look up sharply, a look of realisation on his face.

"That's it, you bastard! You don't care about your friends." Mac said, anger radiating off of his body with the words.

"And, pray tell, what do you know?" the jackass said, with a fake British accent, but Mac didn't miss the flicker of fear in the man's eyes.

"You just want to take the NYPD's attention off of your real plan." Mac was shouting now, the surrounding silence in the bus was palpable.

"And why is that?" The smile on the man's face vanished.

"The shipment of weapons that's coming by. On the Reagan, it was in the paper….." Mac was smacked across the face with a gun before he could finish his sentence.

"Get your mother on the line, before I kill this son of a bitch right here," the leader said in a low voice.

"Danville," came the answer.

"Mom, it's Ellie."

"Ellie, are you alright?" Jo asked, her mothering instincts taking over, but before Ellie could answer, the phone was grabbed out of her hands.

"She's fine, Detective. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your partner."

"What have you done to him, you bastard?" Jo all but screamed into the phone.

"Nothing yet, but let's get started, shall we?" He nodded to the man behind Mac. The terrorist handed the phone to Ellie and she looked on as the man grabbed Mac's hand and started snapping his fingers one by one.

Mac tried very hard not to scream out, but the pain was taking over in his mind and the sickening sound of breaking bone was enough to make even the strongest marine cry out. After the third bone, he finally did.

"JO! The Reagan, warn them…they are….." his shouting was cut off by another punch to the face followed by a kick in the stomach. The sound of ribs breaking was lost over Ellie's scream as the men started kicking and punching Mac. The leader grabbed the phone from her hand slapping her across her face and she fell back in her chair, holding onto her cheek.

"Shut up, you little bitch!"

"Ellie! Mac!" Jo was screaming over the phone, not knowing about the chaos that had just broken loose inside the bus. The driver stopped the bus at the destination and ran down the aisle to help his friends. One of the teachers saw the opportunity and opened the door, motioning the kids out quickly. Of the remaining fifteen hostages, nine escaped before the leader realised there was something going on.

"Damnit!" he screamed in rage. He went to the controls and closed the door.

"Get us out of here," he told the driver. He walked over to the phone he had dropped in the confusion. Jo was still screaming on the other end.

"My people Danville, you have half an hour," he said and then snapped the phone shut. He looked down at the injured detective. Ocean eyes were staring up at him, half-lidded.

"You cost me time and hostages, you fucker. You should not have done that. Now you're gonna pay."

The leader advanced on Mac as his men pulled him upright. He took a knife out of his pocket and without warning stabbed it into Mac's thigh. He pulled it out again and the slammed his booted foot full-force into Mac's knee.

Mac's scream could be heard for miles…..

**I know it's a short one; the next one will be longer. Thanks to all the reviewers out there; 50 reviews? The fastest yet. Anyway, they make me very happy- review some more please. Think of it as a birthday present. Thanks to C. Nicole for all her hard work fixing my mistakes, you rock.**

**I wanted CSI NY for my birthday, but my mom said no. Still, a girl can dream.**

**Till next time….**

**CSIflea **


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